Five players miss return to Arsenal training as Mikel Arteta looks to regain title control

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Mikel Arteta has welcomed back his Arsenal squad from their two days off on Tuesday but some players are still yet to return as they continue working back from injury

Arsenal’s players have returned to training at the Sobha Realty Training Centre after being granted a couple of days' recovery following the victory over Wolves. The emotional victory courtesy of Bukayo Saka’s two deliveries has been widely criticised with internal reflection and self-criticism understood to have took place in the wake of the final whistle.

It was a performance which did not reflect the club’s standing in the Premier League and Champions League tables and certainly not that of a side with ambitions to win the biggest honours. There have however been some mitigating circumstances for Mikel Arteta, particularly the injuries facing the group at present.

As such, while many of the squad are thought to be involved in the sessions, some are still working their way back to fitness and as such their efforts remain inside with the physio and rehabilitation team.

Kai Havertz, however, the Arsenal manager confirmed, is back outside on the pitch, which comes as a real positive. The German forward has been missing since he injured his knee on the opening day at Manchester United.

“He is doing really well, he is doing stuff on the pitch, Arteta admitted in early December. “But I think he needs some time.”

Gabriel Magalhaes, Cristhian Mosquera, Max Dowman and now Ben White, however, are the four players working on getting reinvolved in training. Gabriel is the closest of the group; however, he is expected to still have to wait until after Christmas before he can rejoin the squad unless he manages to take a big step this week.

Dowman (ankle), Mosquera (ankle), and White (hamstring), however, are not expected to rejoin the group until the New Year. Riccardo Calafiori is now re-eligible to play at Everton after serving a one-match suspension against Wolves.

Marli Salmon, the 16-year-old defender who made his competitive debut against Club Brugge in the Champions League, is also working with the first team. While Christian Norgaard, who started at centre-half in Belgium, could also again become more in focus following the injury of White, William Saliba thankfully made his return in the win on Saturday night.